"For the intellectual, the New Faith is a candle that he circles like a moth. In the end, he throws himself into the flame for the glory of mankind." - Czeslaw Milsoz

Saturday, July 31, 2004

Portrait of Islamist Extremism among French Arabs

The NYT has an interesting story about the growing extremism among the Arab "underclass" in France. The family profiled, a husband, wife and two sons in French prison and a third son just released from Guantanamo, are not recent immigrants who brought their anti-Western fervor from abroad. The father immigrated in 1963 and the sons are all born and raised in France. Presumably they have French passports. Their involvement in Islamism and jihad started and grew on French soil. Various members of the family have been involved in jihad in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Chechnya. The sons have shown a pronuonced interest in chemicals and biological poisons.

Plus, the photo from a housing project near Lyon is worth a thousand words.